In general, the composite fat based confectioneries in which aerated food materials (containing air bubbles in the structure) such as biscuits, crackers, pies, wafers and the like baked cakes, okaki, arare and the like rice cakes (traditional Japanese rice cookies) and puffs, popcorn and the like puffed cakes are combined with chocolates, fat creams and the like fat based confectioneries are roughly divided into the following groups from the production point of view.
(i) A composite fat based confectionery in which entire or partial portion of the surface of a combination food material is coated with a fat based confectionery using enrober or the like means (for example, a biscuit one side of which is coated with chocolate). PA1 (ii) A composite fat based confectionery in which a fat based confectionery is packed in a mold and then, before the fat based confectionery is solidified, a part or all of a combination food material is inserted into the fat based confectionery which is subsequently solidified and formed (for example, a chocolate confectionery produced by inserting a part of a rod-shaped biscuit into a mold packed with chocolate and then effecting solidification and forming). PA1 (iii) A composite fat based confectionery in which a fat based confectionery is injected into a combination food material formed into a hollow shape (for example, a dried cream puff packed with a fat cream). PA1 (iv) A composite fat based confectionery in which a granular combination food material is mixed with a fat based confectionery, and said mixture is solidified and formed using a mold or the like (for example, a chocolate bar containing a puff). PA1 (v) A composite fat based confectionery in which a combination food material is sandwiched with a fat based confectionery (for example, a biscuit sandwiched with a fat cream). PA1 (vi) A composite fat based confectionery in which a fat based confectionery is packed in a combination food material formed into a container of a boat or the like shape (for example, a chocolate confectionery produced by packing chocolate in a tart cup). PA1 (1) In the composite fat based confectioneries obtained by the production methods (i), (iii), (v) and (vi), ratio of the fat based confectionery cannot be increased exceeding a certain level, so that taste of the fat based confectionery cannot be strengthened exceeding a certain level. PA1 (2) In the composite fat based confectioneries obtained by the production method (iii), its fat based confectionery is not exposed, so that the fat based confectionery is poor in its existential feeling in terms of its appearance. PA1 (3) In the composite fat based confectioneries obtained by the production methods (ii) and (iv), it is possible to increase ratio of the fat based confectionery at will but, in that case, the combination food material has poor taste and texture and cannot be distinguished from the fat based confectionery itself. PA1 (4) In the composite fat based confectioneries obtained by the methods other than (iv), the combination food material and the fat based confectionery show different tastes when chewed, so that they lack in a one-bodied feeling as a whole and it cannot be denied that their completeness is low in view of the taste. The composite fat based confectionery obtained by the production method (iv) has a one-bodied feeling of its combination food material and fat based confectionery, but, since a granular combination food material is used, significant characteristics cannot be added thereto in terms of its texture.
In recent years, demand for the just described composite fat based confectioneries has been increasing because of the variation of liking by consumers. Since the taste of a fat based confectionery itself in a composite fat based confectionery is reduced due to its characteristics, such confectioneries are received favorably by consumers who like light taste and texture on one hand, but there are a large number of consumers on the other hand who like composite fat based confectioneries having more strong taste of the fat based confectionery. When these present conditions are taken into consideration, the aforementioned composite fat based confectioneries of (i) to (vi) have the following disadvantages.
The present invention has been accomplished taking the aforementioned present situation into consideration, and its object is to provide a composite fat based confectionery which has high ratio of its fat based confectionery and thereby has a strong taste of the fat based confectionery, shows excellent one-bodied feeling of its combination food material and fat based confectionery, has excellent characteristics in terms of the texture and also is rich in the existential feeling of the fat based confectionery in appearance.